Rubber And The WarMILDRED REIMER

We walk on it, ride on it, wear it, anduse it in our pastimes. We make use of itfor comfort and safety. We see it every-where. Much of it that is used is hiddenfrom us under silk, cotton, or steel. Thispopular product can be made to stretch tentimes its length or treated so that it will notstretch at all. It can be spun so fine thatit resembles a spider's web or made solasting that it will outwear steel. It can bemade to withstand hot or cold tempera-tures, to absorb water or shed it, to hold upunder the pressure of the ocean bottom orof the high altitudes where men fly inplanes. A publication issued by the De-partment of Commerce states that it "is oneof the most useful SUbstances in the worldtoday. Remove it entirely from our livesand civilization will be plunged into an-other Dark Age; gone would be modernsystems of communication and transporta-tion - the whole branches of the arts andsciences would disappear."

Since the turn of the century Americahas become dependent upon rubber, butthings are different now - war is beingfought all over the world. But war or nowar, America still must have rubber.Although the crude rubber supply has beencut off, methods are rapidly being develop-ed today to solve the rubber problem facingthe world. The purpose of this paper is toshow how World War II has changed therubber industry from natural to artificialrubber production.

The rubber shortage was not apparentuntil the conquest by Japan last winter ofMalaya and the Netherlands Indies, anaction which deprived the United States ofthe source of 98 per cent of its rubbersupply just as it was launching one of the

greatest war efforts in history. Ninety-eight per cent of the material vital to theprosecution of modern warfare and neces-sary for efficient functioning of the nat-ion's economy was cut off by that littlecountry of the Orient. British Malay fur-nished the United States with 55 per centof its crude rubber, while 33 per cent ofthe valuable product was produced by theNetherlands Indies. Ceylon, French IndoChina, other British possessions, Africa, andSouth America in the past furnished therest of the rubber supply to the UnitedStates. War has shut off our "crude rubberfriends."

The government, however, had accum-ulated stock rubber piles before Japan'sconquests. On June 25, 1940, an act wasapproved to authorize the ReconstructionFinance Corporation to create governmentcorporations and make loans for theacquisition and holding of strategic rawmaterials. On June 28 of the same yearthe R. F. C. immediately set up the Rub-ber Reserve Company to accumulate a gov-ernment-owned stock pile of rubber. Atonce arrangements were made with the In-ternational Rubber Regulation Committeeto release sufficient additional supplies 'toenable the Rubber Reserve Company toacquire 150,000 tons of the "Black Gold"by the end of 1940 without disturbingmarket conditions. In 1940, 1941, and 1942the rubber purchase program was increas-ed until in the spring of 1942 the nationalstock pile contained approximately 700,000tons of rubber.

Although such expansive plans weremade for rubber stock pile increment, theprogram was not as successful as had beenanticipated. Deliveries were often cut short

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or not made at all so that at the end of theyear, three weeks after Pearl Harbor wasattacked, the rubber stock pile was morethan 150,000 tons below the anticipated total.The stock pile, though far from sufficient,was the largest rubber reserve ever accu-mulated anywhere. It is being Icalledupon, however, to supply indefinitely themilitary demands and the civilian needs ofthe United States in addition to a share ofthe rubber supply demand among membersof the United Nations and among SouthAmerican countries.

Rubber, indeed, plays a vital part inthe world today. Although the rubbershortage is critical, the industry must meetnew national demands. The mechanizedarmy as we know it today did not exist in1914 when men went to battle on foot orhorseback. The modern army speeds alongon wheels equipped with tires, on paddedendless tracks, and its aviators take offfrom the ground and land again on pneu-matic-tire wheels. Much rubber is beingused for America's national defense pro-gram. Since army trucks have from fourto ten rubber-tired wheels and carry oneor two spares, it may take as much as1,000 pounds of rubber to equip an armyvehicle with tires. A new kind of scoutcar is being manufactured in large quanti-ties which calls for mud-and-snow tiresand for tracks of springy rubber blocks.Tanks with rubber tracks are being built.Airplanes constructed for the defense pro-gram are requiring vast amounts of rubberalso. Approximately 400 rubber parts areused in ordinary airplane construction.De-icers, essential devices for the safety ofplanes which fly at freezing altitudes, arestrips of rubber riveted to each wing tip.

A new type of airplane fuel tank made of

rubber has been devised which seals up

punctures immediately. The defense pro-

gram calls for collapsible boats for landing

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attack troops, for small rubber bags to holdhigh explosive powder inside large shells,and for waterproof garments to protect theArmy and Navy men. How much rubberwill America need to keep her fighterssupplied? The government has estimatedthat 800,000 tons of rubber will be neededfor defense purposes alone. Where will itall come from?Synthetic rubber may be the solution to

the shortage problem of this once billion-dollar business. In recent years the verymeaning of the term "synthetic rubber"has changed with the change in viewpointof the manufacture of this product. Thirtyyears ago synthetic meant a natural rubber.Such material, however, has not been pro-duced. The term synthetic is now under-stood by most people to be a syntheticmaterial possessing the approximate physic-al pragerties of natural rubber, according toa definition by Lawrence Wood in an articleentitled "Synthetic Rubbers: A Review ofTheir Compositions, Properties, and Uses."To keep up to date with this trend the termsynthetic as used in this paper will meanmerely an artificial substance which hasphysical properties resembling those of nat-ural rubber; that is,.it can be stretched toan elongation of at least 300 per cent andwill quickly and forcibly retract to itsoriginal dimensions when released.

Synthetic rubber discovered years agobut only recently developed will in its threemain forms replace the manufacture ofnatural rubber for the duration. Rubberwas first discovered by Sir William Tildenin 1882 when he pro d u c e d iso-prene, the rubber molecule, not from rub-ber but from turpentine. Tilden found thatthe liquid, isoprene, when exposed to thesunlight for six months, turned into a solidmass having the same physical propertiesas rubber. In years of experimentation itwas found that other hydocarbons similarto isoprene, notably a gas called butadiene,

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could be used to produce rubber-like sub-stances. In 1922 Dr. J. C. Patrick, anAmerican chemist, produced Thiokol, a sub-stance which had the properties of rubberbut was composed of completely differentchemicals.

Synthetic rubber has been the dreamof many during the past century, but onlyin about the last decade has it achieved anycommercial success. Millions of dollarshave been spent by chemists throughoutthe world to try to make synthetic rubber.They have not succeeded in making a pro-duct identical with that obtained from theHevea tree, but they have evidently donebetter.

The expansion of the synthetic rubberprogram in the United States during thewar is concerned with three forms of theartificial rubber, Neoprene, Buna rubber,and Butyl rubber. Neoprene, possessingspecial resistance power -and designed toserve as an all-purpose rubber, was devel-oped by Du Pont chemists. Using four rawmaterials, limestone, coal, salt, and water,chemists are now making "homemade rub-ber" known as Neoprene which looks likerubber, acts like rubber, and can be used inpractically all articles for which rubber isnow used. To make Neoprene coal andlimestone are heated together in an electricfurnace and result in the production ofcalcium carbide which on the addition ofwater makes acetylene gas. Carbide, assome of the older folks will recall, was usedfor headlights on bicycles and automobilessome years ago. Acetylene plus a materialknown to the chemist as a. catalyst givesanother gas which is called monovinylac-etylene. The latter plus hydrochloric acidwhich is made from salt produces a liquidcalled chloroprene.The union of ehloro-prene molecules results in the new rubber-like Neoprene.

Although elastic and tough like rubber,Neoprene is chemically different. Because

of this difference it does not fear rubber'senemies, gasoline, oils, chemicals, oxygen,sunlight, or heat. This artificial rubber isnot a rubber SUbstitute, but it is used for avariety of purposes for which rubber is notwell suited. Although Neoprene costs moreper pound than rubber, certain articlesmade from it are actually cheaper thancorresponding rubber articles because oftheir longer life under severe service con-ditions.

A second type of synthetic rubber isknown as Buna rubber made in the 1930'sby Germany. Buna rubber rights are nowheld here by the Standard Oil Company.This vital synthetic product is produced byuniting through heat, pressure, and cata-lysts, two chemicals, butadiene and styrenewhich is derived from petroleum or coaltar. It is a specialty rubber with propertiessimilar to those of Thiokol and Neoprene.Buna--S, one of the various forms of theBunas product, is the principal syntheticrubber found practical for tires and tubes.Butadiene can be made by various processesfrom various materials. The principalsources, however, are petroleum andalcohol. It has been generally acknow-ledged that Buna-S can be more economi-cally produced from petroleum than fromalcohol. It is estimated that Buna-S pro-duced from petroleum will cost 30 cents apound and may eventually drop to 10 or15 cents a pound.

Standard Oil Company in 1940 an-nounced its own development of a thirdsynthetic rubber called Butyl, made prin-cipally from isobutylene, an oil refinerybyproduct gas, and mixed with smallquantities of butadiene. Although bothNeoprene and Butyl are intended forspecialty purposes, Butyl can be used fortires. It is a superior synthetic rubberexcept that it is not oil-resistant. Tiresfrom this third type of synthetic rubberhave been considered by rubber companies

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as good for about one-half the mileage ofnatural rubber tires and at speeds of only40 miles an hour or less.

The American market for syntheticrubbers with all their valuable uses has,therefore, grown from about 2,500 tons in1939 to 9,000 tons in 1941. On the otherhand, operations are being limited to ex-perimental work concerning synthetic rub-ber, and no large-scale commercial produc-tion is under way. Before the UnitedStates ever became involved in the warrecommendations were made for an in-creased building program for production ofsynthetic rubber. In 1940 the NationalDefense Advisory Commission appointed arubber committee which recommendedthat plants be constructed and produce atleast 100,000 tons of synthetic rubber. InMarch, 1941, the Reconstruction FinanceCorporation voted on the construction offour plants,' one by each of the four largetire companies of this country. Later thecapacity of the four plants was increased to10,000 tons. The fourth plant did not getunder construction until two months afterthe attack on Pearl Harbor. After theUnited States entered the war the capacityof the four original plants was again in-creased to 30,000 tons each. Then asJapan advanced over the rubber-producingareas of the Far East the program was pro-gressively expanded to provide for a totalof 800,000 tons of synthetic rubber. Con-tracts for additional plant construction havebeen negotiated through the Defense PlantCorporation, while other plants are sched-uled to open before the end of the year.

With synthetic rubber production re-ceiving a position of prominence in the in-dustrial world, efforts have been made toalter the rubber program by legislation.The War Production Board announced justa few months ago that butadiene used tomake tons of Buna rubber would be pro-cessed from alcohol obtained from grain

sources. A major reliance was placed onthe petroleum process of making rubberrather than the alcoholic process since therewas to be a supposed shortage of alcohol.Measures to assure rubber for retreadingtires are under consideration now. A groupbefore the Banking and Currency Commit-tee recommended that rubber be assuredfor retreading 30,000,000 tires annually forthree years in order to keep passenger carsin operation. Various measures on the rub-ber program are either in the making atthe present time or are waiting for con-sideration by government boards and com-mittees.

Thus the billion-dollar business ofmaking crude rubber may keep its billion-dollar status even if synthetic productionreplaces the original form of rubber manu-facture of the world. Synthetic rubber hasseen an increase in the quantity produced,the number of varieties available, and thenumber of applications within the last tenyears. The synthetic rubber production inthe post-war period has been predicted toexceed the manufacture of natural rubber.Authorities say that prices for productionof the artificial rubber will be even belowthose for crude rubber manufacture andthat consequently natural rubber will nolonger be able to compete with syntheticrubber in the American market. VicePresident Henry Wallace in an article inthe New York. Times Magazine, July 12,1942,called attention to the fact that to pre-vent building of "vested interests which,after the war, would be sitting on the door-step of Congress clamoring for a tariff,"there had been included in all syntheticrubber contracts a clause giving the gov-ernment the right to acquire the plants atthe close of the war.

What about the future of the rubberindustry? The buying public that pur-chases rubber erasers, raincoats, rubbers,and tires may be little concerned about the

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problems of the rubber industry as long astheir physical comfort is not impaired.Producers of rubber, however, may see theonce "black gold" turn almost over night to"homemade" or synthetic rubber products.

'I< * 'I< '" ... '"

BIBLIOGRAPHYBarker, P. W. and Holt, E. G., Rubber In-

dustry of the United States, 1839-1939.Washington, D. C., 1940.

"Baruch Rubber Report: Nation FacesEither 'Discomfort or Defeat.' " Victory,

III, Sept. 15, 1942, 5.Patch, Buel W., "Rubbert Supplies and Re-

placements." Editorial Research Re-ports, II, No.5, Aug. 1, 1942, 83-100.

Roget, Peter Mark. Thesaurus of EnglishWords and Phrases. New York, 1937.

"Rubber." Building America, VI, MarchIO,1941.

"Rubber and Defense." Materials for De-fense, Jan. 27, 1942, 6.

"Science." Time. XXXVIII, Dec. 22, 1941,45.

"Shortages." Time, XXXIX, Jan. 26, 1942,15.

"State of Synthetics." Time, XI, July 20,1942, 18-19.

Strategic Raw Materials. April, 1941."The Rubber Crisis." The University 01

Chicago Round Table, Sept. 13, 1942.Webster's New International Dictionary.

Second edition. Springfield, Mass., 1942.Wood, Lawrence A. Synthetic Rubbers: A

Review of Their Compositions, Pro-perties, and Uses. Washington, D. C.,1940.

Winter EveningDONALD RIDER

As the year evolves, nature contempl-ates, nature broods, nature rants, andnature breathes the warm glow of spring.She may brood the noisy thunderstorm ofsummer, rant the early autumn squalls, andwhisper with zephyrs the heralding ofspring, but tonight she contemplates. To.,night she contemplates and her utter silencepervades the hunter's cabin.

The hound lies by the fire gazing stead-ily into the dancing flames. No emotion isshown, no movement of the muscles is per-ceptible . What passes through his mindif animals have no reason? Does he thinkof the past chases, dwell upon his comfort,or contemplate the future? Or is his mind

blank, sensing only contentment, warmth,and light? Or is he listening, listening tosomething imperceptible to human beings,unreal, unexplainable?

The master reclines in his favoritechair facing the sputtering logs. Slowlyhe raises his old briar, draws easil'l de-liberately, exhaling the blue smoke in idlecurls. His eyes move from the fire and

rest upon his faithful hound. He watches

long and with patient interest, vaguely

attempting to penetrate the 0 the r ' s

thoughts. He strives in vain. Silence, the

great gap between man and beast, cannot

be penetrated.

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